• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4181-4190
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• 2023

Nuclear power plants are subjected to various processes during decommissioning, including cutting, decontamination, disposal, and treatment. The cutting of massive bio-shields is a significant step in the decommissioning process. Cutting is performed near the target structure, and during this process, workers are exposed to potential radioactive elements. However, studies considering worker exposure management during such cutting operations are limited. Furthermore, dismantling a nuclear power plant under certain circumstances may result in the unnecessary radiation exposure of workers and an increase in secondary waste generation. In this study, a cutting scenario was formulated considering the bio-shield as a representative structure. The specifications of a standard South Korean radioactive waste disposal drum were used as the basic conditions. Additionally, we explored the hot-to-cold and cold-to-hot methods, with and without the application of polishing during decontamination. For evaluating various scenarios, different cutting time points up to 30 years after permanent shutdown were considered, and cutting speeds of 1-10nullm²/h were applied to account for the variability and uncertainty attributable to the design output and specifications. The obtained results provide fundamental guidelines for establishing cutting methods suitable for large structures.

• 한국소음진동공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국소음진동공학회 1990년도 추계학술대회논문집; 한양대학교, 서울; 24 Nov. 1990
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• pp.113-124
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• 1990

Tap lines are small branch piping generally less than two inches in diameter. They typically branch off of header piping having a much larger diameter. An example of a common tap line is a 3/4 inch size high point vent or low point drain. Most tap lines have at least one valve near the header tap connection to provide isolation. Two valves are often required for double isolation. A light water reactor(LWR) nuclear power plant will have several hundred tap lines. These lines come in many sizes and shapes and serve numerous functions. A single process piping valve may have three different tap lines associated with it (figure 1). Table 1 delineates the different categories of tap lines. Vibration failures of tap lines are a common occurrence in all industrial plants including nuclear and fossil power plants. These types of failures constitute a significant percentage of all piping related failures. An unscheduled plant shutdown or outage resulting from the failure of a tap line decreases plant reliability and may have a detrimental effect on plant safety. Most tap line vibration failures can be avoided through the use of appropriate routing and support techniques. Standardized designs can be developed for use in a myriad of applications. These designs will not only minimize failures but will also reduce the necessary analysis and installation efforts.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권6호
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• pp.2315-2324
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• 2023

Space nuclear reactors are becoming popular in deep space exploration owing to their advantages of high-power density and stability. Following the fourth-generation nuclear reactor technology, a conceptual design of the dual drum-controlled space molten salt reactor (D²-SMSR) is proposed. The reactor concept uses molten salt as fuel and heat pipes for cooling. A new reactivity control strategy that combines control drums and safety drums was adopted. Critical physical characteristics such as neutron energy spectrum, neutron flux distribution, power distribution and burnup depth were calculated. Flow and heat transfer characteristics such as natural convection, velocity and temperature distribution of the D²-SMSR under low gravity conditions were analyzed. The reactivity control effect of the dual-drums strategy was evaluated. Results showed that the D²-SMSR with a fast spectrum could operate for 10 years at the full power of 40 kWth. The D²-SMSR has a high heat transfer coefficient between molten salt and heat pipe, which means that the core has a good heat-exchange performance. The new reactivity control strategy can achieve shutdown with one safety drum or three control drums, ensuring high-security standards. The present study can provide a theoretical reference for the design of space nuclear reactors.

• 한국연소학회지
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.53-58
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• 2013

Lots of Coal power plants (about 30) using bituminous coals are being run in Korea. The use of high volatile low grade sub-bituminous coal is increasingly extended because of imbalance between the worldwide coal supply and demand. Mill-fire has been an important issue since the use of such sub-bituminous coal. In existing coal plants of Korea, shutdown of coal and air supplies could be only a way, and an alternative has not been found in suppressing the mill fire. The inside fowfield in the mills has a highly fuel-rich, low temperature, and high velocity and non-reactive such that it could be a nonreactive system essentially. Nevertheless, occasional fire-occurrence could be attributed to the existence of an ignition source. However it has not been so far investigated in detail. The current work has a focus on suppressing the mile fire via some parametric experimental study such as effects of temperature, residence time, ignition source, and inert gas mixing. The results show that an small amount of $CO_2$- or $N_2$-mixing with air is very effective in suppressing fire formation even at high temperatures or flying sparks. The results suggest that exhaust gas recirculation into the mill should be an alternative to suppress mill fire.

• 한국화재소방학회논문지
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• 제26권6호
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• pp.38-44
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• 2012

원자력발전소 화재방호의 목표는 화재 시 원자로의 안전정지 상태를 유지하여 환경으로의 방사성물질 누출을 최소화하며, 종사자 인명안전 및 재산을 보호하는데 있다. 소방시설은 발생된 화재를 조기 감지 및 진압하여 화재로 인한 피해를 완화시킬 수 있는 심층방어개념에 입각한 중요한 방어수단의 하나이다. 그러나 소방방재청에서 제시하고 있는 소방시설 설치기준이 원자력발전소에 특화되어 있지 않아 인허가 시 별도의 심의 절차가 요구되고 있다. 또한, 성능위주설계와 같은 규정은 작업자의 인구밀도가 비교적 낮은 원자력발전소에 적용하는데 어려움이 있다. 이 논문에서는 원전 화재방호와 관련된 법령의 상세 검토를 통하여 도출된 근본적인 문제점과 KEPIC FPN의 국내 원전 적용성에 대한 평가를 통하여 소방시설에 대한 기술기준에 대한 개선방향을 제시하였다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.127-135
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• 2003

The primary contributors to the total occupational radiation exposure in operating nuclear power plants are operation and maintenance activities doting refueling outages. The Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) includes a number of design improvements and plans to utilize advanced maintenance methods and robotics to minimize the annual collective dose. The major radiation exposure reduction features implemented in APR1400 are a permanent refueling pool seal, quick opening transfer tube blind flange, improved hydrogen peroxide injection at shutdown, improved permanent steam generator work platforms, and more effective temporary shielding. The estimated average annual occupational radiation exposure for APR1400 based on the reference plant experience and an engineering judgment is determined to be in the order of 0.4 man-Sv, which is well within the design goal of 1 man-Sv. The basis of this average annual occupational radiation exposure estimation is an eighteen (18) month fuel cycle with maintenance performed to steam generators and reactor coolant pumps during refueling outage. The outage duration is assumed to be 28 days. The outage work is to be performed on a 24 hour per day basis, seven (7) days a week with overlapping twelve (12) hour work shifts. The occupational radiation exposure for APR1400 is also determined by an alternate method which consists of estimating radiation exposures expected for the major activities during the refueling outage. The major outage activities that cause the majority of the total radiation exposure during refueling outage such as fuel handling, reactor coolant pump maintenance, steam generator inspection and maintenance, reactor vessel head area maintenance, decontamination, and ICI & instrumentation maintenance activities are evaluated at a task level. The calculated value using this method is in close agreement with the value of 0.4 man-Sv, that has been determined based on the experience aid engineering judgement. Therefore, with the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) advanced design features incorporated in the design, APR1400 design is to meet its design goal with sufficient margin, that is, more than a factor of two (2), if operated on art eighteen (18) month fuel cycle.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.255-273
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• 2018

To develop effective emission abatement strategies for eighteen coal-fired power plants located throughout Korea, power plant emission data and TAPM (The Air Pollution Model) were used to quantify the impact of emission reductions on primary $PM_{10}$ concentrations. TAPM was validated for two separate time periods: a high $PM_{10}$ concentration period from April 7 to 12, 2016, and a low $PM_{10}$ concentration period from June 1 to June 6 2016. The validated model was then used to analyze the impacts of five applicable power plant shut-down scenarios. The results showed that shut-down of four power plants located within the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA) would result in up to 18.9% reduction in maximum $PM_{10}$ concentrations, depending on synoptic conditions. A scenario for the shutdown of a single low stack height with highest-emission power plant located nearest to Seoul showed a small impact on averaged $PM_{10}$ concentrations (~1%) and 4.4% ($0.54{\mu}g/m^3$) decrease in maximum concentration. The scenario for four shutdowns for power plants aged more than 30 years within SMA also showed a highest improvement of 6.4% ($0.26{\mu}g/m^3$ in April) in averaged $PM_{10}$ concentrations, and of 18.9% ($2.33{\mu}g/m^3$ in June) in maximum concentration, showing almost linear relationship in and around SMA. Reducing gaseous air pollutant emissions was also found to be significant in controlling high $PM_{10}$ concentrations, indicating the effectiveness of coreduction of power plant emissions together with diesel vehicle emissions in the SMA. In addition, this study is implying that secondary production process generating $PM_{10}$ pollution may be a significant process throughout most regions in Korea, and therefore concurrent abatement of both gas and particle emissions will result in more pronounced improvements in air quality over the urban cities in South Korea.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.922-932
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• 2024

This paper presents the design features and preliminary design analysis results of the Wielenga Innovation Static Salt Reactor (WISSR). The WISSR incorporates features that make it both flexible and inherently safe. It is based on innovative technology that controls a nuclear reactor by moving molten salt fuel into or out of the core. The reactor is a low-pressure, fast spectrum transuranic (TRU) burner reactor. Inherent shutdown is achieved by a large negative reactivity feedback of the liquid fuel and by the expansion of fuel out of the core. The core is made of concentric, thin annular fuel chambers containing molten fuel salt. A molten salt coolant passes between the concentric fuel chambers to cool the core. The core has both fixed and variable volume fuel chambers. Pressure, applied by helium gas to fuel reservoirs below the core, pushes fuel out of a reservoir and up into a set of variable volume chambers. A control system monitors the density and temperature of the fuel throughout the core. Using NaCl-(TRU,U)Cl₃ fuel and NaCl-KCl-MgCl₂ coolant, a road-transportable compact WISSR core design was developed at a power level of 1250 MWt. Preliminary neutronics and thermal-hydraulics analyses demonstrate the technical feasibility of WISSR.

• 전력전자학회논문지
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.34-42
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• 2001

전지는 화학에너지를 기계적인 처리과정 없이 전기에너지로 직접 전환하는 장치이다. 부하전압과 부하전류의 용량에 따라 단위전지를 직.병렬 연결하여 사용하게 되며, 전지의 병렬운전은 단독운전 보다 전압강하를 더 천천히 발생시키므로 전압강하에 민감한 전력변환장치들의 효율에 밀접한 관계를 가지고 있다. 병렬운전의 필요성과 장점 때문에 대부분의 축전지를 사용하는 시스템은 병렬운전을 하고 있고, 반면에 선.구 축전지 사이에서 순환 전류가 흐르고, 자가방전이 일어나는 단점 또한 가지고 있다. 신 축전지에서 충.방전 전류가 과다하게 흐르는 불평형 현상과 이로 인해 축전지의 수명단축을 일으키게된다. 본 논문에서는 마이크로 프로세서를 사용하여 선.구 축전지 사이의 볼평형 전류를 검출하고 외부저항을 첨가시켜 내부저항의 차이에 대한 감소효과를 얻어 불평형 전류를 보상하였다. 이를 실험을 통해 구현하였다.

• 전기전자학회논문지
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.319-323
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• 2011

본 논문에서는 Mobile 기기의 다양한 기능을 지원하기 위해 사용되는 내부 회로들의 낮은 전압 레벨을 지원하기위해 가장 널리 사용되는 SMPS(Switch Mode Power Supply)방식의 Buck converter를 설계한다. 제안된 Buck converter는 넓은 부하 영역에서 높은 효율을 가지는 것을 목적으로 일반적인 구동 방식인 PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)Mode의 고 효율 저 리플 특성 구현 외에 PFM(Pulse Frequency Modulation) Mode를 적용하여 낮은부하 조건 혹은 부하를 사용하지 않는 대기 시간에서도 고 효율 저 리플 특성을 가지는 Dual mode synchronous buck converter를 설계한다. 이를 위해 본 논문에서는 부하 변동 시에 PWM - PFM Mode로의 효율적인 변환방법 및 저 리플 특성을 위한 방법을 제안한다. 또한 제안된 IC는 Mobile 기기에 부합하는 입력 전압 범위 2.5V-5V를 가지며, 2.5Mhz의 높은 주파수로 동작하여 리플 특성이 양호하고 집적화가 유리하다. 고효율을 위하여 Synchronous Type 설계 및 Dynamic Control 방식을 적용하였다. 보호 기능으로는 회로 동작의 초기 시에 발생하는 Inrush Current를 방지하기 위한 Soft start function 외에 Current limit, Thermal shutdown function, UVLO 회로가 내장되어 신뢰성을 높였다.